Wall structure



A ril 2, 1968 C. H. TILLSON WALL STRUCTURE Filed June 20, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

CHARLES H. TILLsoN ATTY.

YWNQ April 1968 c. H. TILLSON 3,375,629

' WALL STRUCTURE Filed June 20, 1966 Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F|e.3 1 I 2 INVEN TOR. 2 CHARLES H. TILL-SON AT TY;

States Fatent Cfiice 3,375,629 WALL STRUCTURE Charles H. Tillson, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed June 20, 1966, Ser. No. 558,918 9 Claims. (Cl. 52-403) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A panel mounting frame assembly featuring a pivotally mounted glazing bead adapted for lacking a panel insert into the mounting frame.

This invention relates to an improved wall structure for buildings which is adapted for mounting structural building panels. The wall structure includes special frame members in which large rigid building panels either of hard opaque materials or transparent or translucent glazing materials may be easily installed or removed with a minimum of labor, and without recourse to the use of adhesives or other conventional fasteners to glaze panels or windows into a frame.

According to the invention a rigid frame for supporting a fiat rigid panel has integral glazing beads hinged to the frame. The glazing beads may be retracted from the panel-receiving region of the frame to permit a panel to be inserted into the frame. Then the glazing beads are pivoted into a locked position inside the frame in which the beads bear tightly against the margins of the panel to fasten the panel securely in the frame.

These glazing beads are capable of providing a weathertight seal in their latched or locked position against the panel margins, and therefore, are a useful mechanism for installing window glass or any of the rigid external sheathing panels commonly used in modern buildings, such as wood, metal, plastic, etc. Similarly, glazing beads may be used for conveniently mounting interior partition panels.

These glazing beads may be locked and unlocked indefinitely permitting fast and easy removal and replacement of panels. In fact, the use of these glazing beads on the opposite sides of the panels permit the removal and replacement of panels from either side of the structure.

The invention will be further described by the accompanying drawings which show by Way of example, a wall structure embodying glazing beads made according to the principles of the invention.

In the drawings: 7

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the improved building wall structure;

FIGURE 2 is a partial cross-section, on the line 22 in FIGURE 1 showing the glazing beads in their locked condition and a phantom view of one bead in its unlocked condition;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the manner in which the corners formed by the horizontal and vertical glazing members are fabricated;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of an alternative glazing bead.

The building wall structure shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a rigid supporting frame which supports a glass panel 12 in its center portion and two opaque closure panels 14 and 16 in its upper and lower portions as shown in FIGURE 1. Glass panel 12 is held within frame 10 by a hinged glazing bead assembly 18 adapted to bear on opposite sides of the margins of panel 12. The opaque closure panels 14 and 16 are similarly held within frame 10 by pairs of glazing bead assemblies 20 and 22 respectively.

Frame 10 is preferably a composite of two steel channels 10A fastened to each other and enclosed by a surrounding rigid vinyl extrusion 10B, assembled into the configuration shown in FIGURE 1. The extrusion 10B includes a series of locking ribs 24 around the entire inner periphery of the openings formed by the horizontal and vertical members of frame 10.

Glazing bead assemblies 18, 20 and 22 are structurally similar so that only bead assembly 18 will be described in detail.

The right half of glazing bead assembly 18, as viewed in FIGURE 2, includes a weather-proof facing strip 26 which is connected to frame 10 by a cam acting hinge 28. Hinge 2'8, with its dual pivot, permits the facing strip 26 to be pivoted from its retracted position, shown typically in phantom for the left half of bead assembly 18 in FIGURE 2, to its locked glazing position.

In the preferred manner of practicing this invention, facing strip 26 is made of a weather resistant material such as vinyl and has an integral locking edge 30 on one lengthwise edge and a slotted edge 32 on the opposite lengthwise edge. The locking edge 30 of facing 26 is adapted for mating engagement with the locking rib 24 of frame 10. This locking edge 30 as an integral supporting leg 34 which cooperates with hinge 28 to resist the clockwise rotation of facing 26 about locking rib 24 as viewed in the right bead of assembly 18 in FIG- URE 2.

The slotted edge 32 of facing 26 is adapted to receive a flexible glazing gasket 36 which is made of a preferably soft vinyl material. This gasket 36 provides the actual weather seal connection between the margin of panel 12 and facing 26. i

The facing 26 has a metal plate 38 which is clinched to the underside of facing 26 by grooves 40', 40. The hinge leaf 28A of hinge 2 8 is fastened to the underside of facing 26 by a suitable fastener 42 as shown in FIGURE 2. The opposite hinge leaf 28B of hinge 28 is attached to frame 10 by fastener 44. These hinge leaf members 28A and 28B may be slotted at the points where fasteners 42 and 44 attached to permit an adjustment of the geometry of the glazing bead so that one glazing assembly can be adjusted to support a number of different panel thicknesses.

The left half of glazing bead assembly 18 includes the same components heretofore described for the right half of glazing bead assembly 18.

Similarly, the left half of glazing bead assembly 22 has the same components described for the right half of head assembly 18. However, the right of glazing bead assembly 22 as viewed in FIGURE 2 has a modified bead facing strip 46. This modified facing strip permits glazing bead assembly 22 to support a thick wall section such as panel 16. This panel 16 includes a peripheral retainer lip 48 against which the left half of glazing bead assembly 22 is locked. The bead glazing assembly 20 which supports panel 14 also has a modified facing strip (not shown) similar to the modified facing strip 46 of assembly 22.

In the installation of panel 12, the right half of glazing head assembly 18 is pivoted to its locked position as shown in FIGURE 2 and the left half of bead assembly 18 is pivoted to its retracted position shown in phantom in FIGURE 2. The left half of bead assembly 18 when fully retracted forms an opening larger than the panel size thereby permitting panel 12 to be moved rightwardly until panel 12 abuts the flexible gasket 36 of the right half of bead assembly 18. The left half of assembly 18 Patented Apr. 2., 1968 is then pivoted on hinge 26 to a position wherein the left glazing gasket 36 abuts the left margin of panel 12 and locking edge 30 is immediately above its mating locking rib 24 on frame 10. At this point, the application of pressure on the locking edge 30 of facing 26 will force the locking edge 30 to interlock with rib 24 to fully lock the left half of glazing bead assembly into position.

The locking edge 30 of facing 26 is preferably hard but yielding so that it is posisble to install panel 12 by tapping the top of locking edge 30 with a rubber mallet to place locking edge 30 into engagement with locking rib 24. This yielding characteristic of locking edge 30 permits one half of assembly 18 to be unlocked by merely prying up the end of facing 26 at support leg 34 with a screwdriver. This feature permits quick and easy removal of a panel 12 from frame without seriously destroying the glazing elements of the structure making it possible to install a replacement panel with the original glazing head assembly 18.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the bead facing 26 of the horizontal members of glazing bead assembly 18 have square ends and are locked into position before the vertical bead facings 26, which have tapered ends to fit the incline formed by the locked horizontal facing strips 26.

Panel 16 is similarly installed into its opening in frame 10 by initially locking modified facing 46 of the right half of glazing bead assembly 22 into its locked position shown in FIGURE 2. This thick wall panel 16 is then moved rightwardly against this right half of assembly 22 with the retainer lip 48 of panel 16 abutting gasket 36 of the right half of assembly 22. Then the left half of bead assembly 22 is locked into its glazing position in a manner similar to that described for the locking of the left half of bead assembly 18.

Panel 14 is installed in its opening in frame 10 by glazing head assembly in the same manner described for panel 16.

FIGURE 4 shows a modified facing strip 50 which may be used as a substitute in head assembly 18 for facing strip 26 and glazing gasket 36. The modified strip 50 is extruded with a hard and rigid body portion 52 and locking edge 54, and a series of soft flexible glazing edges 56. This integral facing strip eliminates the need for a separate glazing gasket 36. In addition, a series of soft integral flexible sealing lips 58 may be extruded inside locking edge 54 as shown to provide additional weather sealing capabilities at the outer edge of facing 26.

It will be readily apparent from this disclosure that variations from this preferred construction may be made which will be within the scope of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A panel mounting structure for receiving a panel insert comprising a frame member having a peripheral locking rib, and a glazing bead hinged to said frame for swinging into and out of a position for engaging the panel insert, said glazing bead including a lengthwise locking edge for interlocking the glazing bead with the locking rib of said frame when the glazing bead is in its panel engaging position and a flexible contact means along the opposite lengthwise edge of the glazing bead to seal the panel margin.

2. A panel mountmg structure according to claim 1 and further comprising a second opposing hinged glazing bead for supporting the opposite margin of the panel insert.

3. A panel mounting structure according to claim 1 and further comprising a second opposing hinged glazing bead having a separable contoured bead facing adapted to receive and support the end edge portion of a thick panel insert.

4. A panel mounting structure according to claim 1 wherein said glazing bead supports one of the horizontal margins of a rectangular panel insert and further in cluding a similar hinged glazing bead supporting the opposite horizontal margin of the panel insert and a pair of hinged glazing beads supporting the opposite vertical margins of the panel insert.

5. A panel mounting structure according to claim 1 wherein said contact means is a flexible sealing gasket loosely connected to the lengthwise edge of said head.

6. A panel mounting structure according to claim 5 wherein said glazing bead has a slotted lengthwise edge and said flexible gasket further includes a Y-shaped body having a bead which is slidable in the slotted edge of said glazing bead.

7. A panel mounting structure according to claim 1 wherein said glazing bead includes a dual pivot hinge connecting said bead to said frame.

8. A panel mounting structure according to claim 1 1 wherein said glazing bead includes a hinge having a first pivot on said bead, a second pivot on said frame, and hinge adjusting means to adjustably support a plurality of panel thicknesses.

9. A panel mounting structure according to claim 1 wherein said glazing bead includes a homogeneous dual hardnes facing having a hard rigid exterior surface and a soft panel contacting edge for frictionally engaging the margin of the panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,296,720 9/1942 Lowry 52+500 2,565,227 8/1951 Gurney 52-502 3,040,389 6/1962 Fengler 52 -403 3,081,849 3/1963 Hubbard 52397 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

